Telecommunications companies (telcos) offer services via communications lines. Common communications lines include Plain Old Telephone lines (POTs), Integrated Service Device Network (ISDN) lines, and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). One method for resolving technical issues is to dispatch a technician who will diagnose and attempt to resolve the problem. A prudent technician will conduct a close-out test to make sure that the reported problem is eliminated; and more importantly, to ensure that the line is free from nonreported errors.
Traditionally, a close-out test is carried out as an isolated event. That is, a technician—alone in the field—conducts the close-out test, observes the results, and subjectively makes a decision on the best course of action. Afterwards, the test results are lost. This method can present problems when the technician may be relatively inexperienced, unmotivated to actually perform the test, or when the technician does not know the best course of action to take. The technician bears the burden of tracking acceptable tolerances. Further, a supervisor must physically accompany a technician to observe test results and recommended action. Such a practice is inefficient and costly.
There is a need for a method and system of conducting a completion test whereby the results are stored; benchmark values are automatically provided and easily distributed; and supervisors (or other remote viewers) can observe the results in near real-time from an off-site location.